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Clifford Family History

Clifford Surname Meaning

English and Irish: habitational name from any of various places called Clifford in Devon, Gloucestershire, and Yorkshire, and in particular Herefordshire. The placename is derived from Old English clif ‘slope’ + ford ‘ford’. Irish: adoption of the name in 1 above as Anglicization of several Irish names, especially Ó Clúmháin ‘descendant of Clúmhán’, which was the surname of an ecclesiastical family in Sligo and can be traced back to the 12th century.

The personal name meant ‘little hairy one’, a diminutive of Irish clúmach ‘hairy’, from clúmh ‘feathers, plumage, down; hair or fur’. Clifford was also adopted for Coleman and in Fermanagh for Crifferty, Clifferty, and Cliffordy, which are Anglicized forms of Mac Raibheartaigh (compare Rafferty).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Clifford family from?

You can see how Clifford families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Clifford family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Clifford families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 403 Clifford families living in Ontario. This was about 57% of all the recorded Clifford's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Clifford families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Clifford surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Clifford ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Clifford. 43% of Clifford men worked as a Farmer and 21% of Clifford women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Clifford were Clerk and Student.

View Census Data for Clifford | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    43%
  • Laborer
    10%
  • Labourer
    10%
  • Clerk
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    21%
  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Servant
    10%
  • Student
    10%

What Clifford family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 292,000 census records available for the last name Clifford. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Clifford census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Clifford

Passenger Lists

There are 45,000 immigration records available for the last name Clifford. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 41,000 military records available for the last name Clifford. For the veterans among your Clifford ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Clifford family history

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What is the average Clifford lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Clifford life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Clifford in 1940 was 43, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Clifford

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Clifford ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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